Samira Lamrani, 38, who lives on nearby Hurstway Walk, told the Press Association: ‘When I arrived on the scene he (the resident) was amongst the people that were standing there.

‘He was just beside himself. He was just as surprised at how quickly the fire spread as anybody else.

‘I could hear him saying that he contacted the emergency services immediately and they reassured him everything would be under control within a short period of time, and obviously it wasn’t.’

Residents had previously raised concerns that a ‘catastrophic’ event could happen in the block – but a group of residents say their warnings ‘fell on deaf ears’.

(Picture: Guilhem Baker/LNP)

The group said there was only one entry and exit to the block during improvement works, saying, ‘All our warnings fell on deaf ears and we predicted that a catastrophe like this was inevitable and just a matter of time.’

Resident David Benjamin ‘I think what had happened is where it was in the kitchen on fire, it went through the kitchen window and then it started spreading up across the cladding.’

‘Apparently, I don’t know if it’s true or not, apparently the fire exit that was on the stairs was set on fire as well so they couldn’t even get down or the fire brigade couldn’t get up.

More than 200 firefighters were sent to tackle the fire at the 27-storey Grenfell Tower which was reported just after 1.15am on Wednesday.

The fire engulfed the block at 12.54am (Picture PA)

Firefighters confirmed there had been a number of people killed in the fire.

London Ambulance Service said that 30 people have been taken to five hospitals across the city, but that number is expected to rise.

Police said a ‘number of people are being treated for a range of injuries’, including two for smoke inhalation, as pictures from the scene in north Kensington showed flames engulfing the block and the plume of smoke visible across the capital.

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Kensington and Chelsea Council leader Nick Paget-Brown described the blaze as a ‘very, very severe fire’.

He told Sky News: ‘Clearly it’s an absolutely devastating fire. Several hundred would have been in there. It’s a question of establishing how many people were in there at the time of the fire.

An acrid column of smoke could be seen rising from the building shortly before 7am.

The charred structure still had pockets of flame rising from several storeys as the desperate effort to bring the blaze under control continued.

Schoolboy Omar Kalam, 11, was standing anxiously at the emergency service cordon with father Walid, 44.

‘My brother has friends and they live in there,’ he said. ‘I’m not sure if they are all right yet.’

Parents from nearby Kensington Aldridge Academy, where Omar attends, had been told the school was closed, his father said.

(Picture: SWNS)

Commander Stuart Cundy, from the Metropolitan Police, said: ‘All the emergency services and other agencies continue to work together at the scene.

‘I can confirm there have been a number of fatalities and others receiving medical care. We will be soon making contact with next of kin.

‘Anyone who is concerned about loved ones in relation to the fire should contact Casualty Bureau which has been opened following the fire. If you do not get through immediately please do try again.

‘Extensive cordons remain in place and a number of nearby residents have been evacuated as a precaution.

‘The A40 is closed in both directions. We kindly ask that the public stay away from the area. I thank the public for their patience and their cooperation today which has already greatly assisted our policing response.’

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(Picture: AP)

Emergency workers close to the scene of the fire (Picture: EPA)

‘People have been bringing water, clothes, anything they’ve got to help, out to the cordon.

‘I have seen people coming out in their bedclothes – it’s just very distressing.’

‘I watched one person falling out, I watched another woman holding her baby out the window… hearing screams, I was yelling everyone to get down and they were saying ‘We can’t leave our apartments, the smoke is too bad on the corridors’,’ he said.

Fire crews from north Kensington, Kensington, Hammersmith and Paddington and surrounding stations were at the scene with the fire burning from the second to the top floor.

The cause of the fire is not known at this stage, London Fire Brigade said.

Fabio Bebber wrote on Twitter: ‘More screams for help as the fire spreads to another side of the building.

‘This is a large and very serious incident and we have deployed numerous resources and specialist appliances.’

London Ambulance said it had sent a ‘number of resources’ to the scene, including its Hazardous Area Response Team.

London mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted: ‘Major incident declared at Grenfell Tower in Kensington’ and urged people to follow London Fire Brigade on Twitter.

Stuart Crighton, London Ambulance Service assistant director of operations, said: ‘We have sent a number of resources to the scene including our hazardous area response team and over 20 ambulance crews.

(Picture: Getty)

(Picture: Reuters)

(Picture: Getty)

‘Our priority (is) to get people to safety and ensure they receive the medical help as quickly as possible.

‘Our initial priority is to assess the level and nature of injuries and ensure those in the most need are treated first and taken to hospital.’

Former chancellor and now editor of the Evening Standard George Osborne tweeted: ‘Just seen this awful tower block fire near my home in W London. My prayers with those affected & heroes tackling it.’

Transport for London said there was no service between Hammersmith and Edgware Road on the Circle and Hammersmith and City lines, while the police said the A40 was closed in both directions, owing to the fire.

What we know about the Grenfell Tower fire

London Fire Brigade was first called at 12.54am on Wednesday morning to the Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road.

At least 17 deaths have been confirmed following the blaze at Grenfell Tower in north Kensington.

At least 74 people have been taken to five hospitals, London Ambulance Service said.

Around 20 people are in critical care.

The building in north Kensington is at least 24 stories high.

Forty engines containing more than 200 firefighters attended the scene.

Thirty people were taken to five hospitals following the fire.

Fire crews from north Kensington, Kensington, Hammersmith and Paddington and surrounding stations were at the scene with the fire burning from the second to the top floor.

The cause of the fire is not yet clear.

London mayor Sadiq Khan has said the fire has been declared a ‘major incident’.

The Grenfell Tower was built in 1974 and contains 120 homes, according to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

More than 20 ambulance crews were sent to the scene, London Ambulance Service said.

The Metropolitan Police have set up a casualty bureau for anyone concerned about their friends and family on 0800 0961 233.